Email Jobs

Emails are helpful for sending survey links, reminders, and other communication with participants. Read this guide to learn about creating, scheduling, and other email capabilities within the Enterprise Manager.

2.Email Scheduling Properties

Batch Size

Send no more than ___ Emails per ___: This limits the rate at which Illume sends out Email. Limits can be set to lessen the burden on the server or to not flag as an internal SPAM issue.Time intervals include Minute, Hour, Day, and Week.

NOTE: The mailer frequency is the maximum number of Emails that Illume will send in a specified time period. This setting does not guarantee that the Emails will be sent at the set frequency. It only ensures that Emails will not be sent more frequently than specified.

The Email Job’s actual frequency depends on network conditions and the availability of system resources. For example, during periods when the outgoing mail server is busy, the actual rate at which Illume sends Email may be well below the maximum frequency you requested.

Start and Stop Conditions

Email Jobs can be scheduled to start on a specific date, or on a relative date. A relative date is a specified number of days after the participant received Email from another Email Job. Email Jobs can be scheduled to end on a specific date, or when specific conditions are met.

NOTE: Only one type of start condition and one type of stop condition apply. For example, if you click the Save button with a stop date specified, then the stop conditions will not apply.

Email Job start and stop conditions apply only to the Email Job. They do not apply to the survey.

Start Conditions

There are three possible start conditions for an Email Job. Only one condition may apply for an Email Job.

Manual – Will be started by an individual at some point

Start on a Specific Date

Send as a Follow-up to Another Email Job

Stop Conditions

Manual Stop – Can be set to Automatically Stop the Job when no more Participants can be sent the email based on the conditions. If set to No it will wait and periodically check to see if any additional Participants have been added to the Participant List that meet the appropriate conditions. If Yes, then it will go through the entire Participant List and send then stop when the end is reached.

Stop on a Specific Date – Will stop sending email on the date and time even if new Participants are added that meet the send criteria.

Stop When One of these Conditions is Met:

When a defined number of participants have been emailed. This is an absolute number.

When a percentage of the participant list has been emailed. This is a relative number. Once the percentage of the list is reached, the email job pauses. If more participants are added to the list, it will send more emails.

When a defined number of participants complete the survey. This is an absolute number.

When a defined percentage of participants from the participant list finish the survey. This is a relative number and will pause the email job when the percentage is reached. More participants may take the survey after the email job has stopped, as long as the survey remains running. If more participants are added to the participant list, the job may be restarted.

Composing a Message

The HTML editor allows for the composition of a formatted HTML email using a word-processor style interface. Formatting can be applied by simply highlighting text and clicking buttons or selecting options on the toolbar.

NOTE: There are two tabs on the editor: HTML Body Editor and Plain Text Body Editor.

Adding Images

To add an image to an email message, click the image button and specify, at minimum, the URL of the image. When adding images to an email, Illume does not attach the image as part of the message. This means it is important to specify the full URL of the image, which should be on a publicly available web server. (Hint: When clicking the Preview button and the image does not appear in the previewer, the recipients will not be able to see it.)

Personalizing Email Messages

Personalizing an Email Message can be accomplished by piping data from participant lists directly into an email. Illume looks for tags in the email message that follow the format{UserData:FieldName} That is: the word UserData, followed by a colon and the name of the field whose data to insert. All of this must be enclosed in curly braces. Capitalization does not matter.

The HTML editor includes a drop-down to help insert user data. Click the drop-down to see the user data fields. Choose the user data field to insert.

To insert custom user data from the participant list, choose Custom Column from the drop-down and type in the name of the field at {UserData:ENTER CUSTOM COLUMN} .

Embedding the Survey URL

Email jobs also support a {SurveyURL} tag. This tag will embed a custom survey URL into each email. Illume automatically figures out what information is required for the participant to log in, and it embeds that information in the URL. When a participant clicks on this link, he or she can begin taking the survey without having to log in. Text can be added to the {SurveyURL} tag to display a “friendly” link, rather than a long URL.

For example, the tag {SurveyUrl:click here} would produce the words “click here” as a clickable link. Clicking the link has the same effect as clicking the long survey URL: participants can start responding to the survey questions. Keep in mind, however, that not all participants have HTML enabled mail clients. Those using text-based mail clients will not be able to “click here” to reach the survey. These participants need access to the full survey URL, so they can copy it from the email and paste it into a browser.

The HTML editor includes a drop-down to insert the Survey URL in the email. Whatever is typed in the EnterLink Text becomes the text of the clickable link.

{SurveyURL:ENTER LINK TEXT}

To embed the raw URL, use {SurveyRawURL} to produce the actual URL of the survey. This is the URL in plain text form. It is not clickable, but participants can cut and paste it into the address field of their browser to go to your survey.

NOTE: Selecting Bare Window will launch the survey in a browser window that has no address bar and no toolbar.

Embedding an Opt-Out Link

To include an opt-out link in the email, use the {OptOutURL} tag, this can be found in the HTML editor under the Survey Link drop down. This tag, like the SurveyURL tag, is a “friendly” link so text can be added for display purposes. Any participant who clicks on this link will be marked as Do Not Contact on that Participant List and any Master or Derived lists that are associated with that list.

Plain Text vs. HTML

Email jobs send “multi-part” messages in two formats: plain text and HTML. Which version the recipient sees depends on their email program and display preferences. If you define an HTML message, and the recipient’s email program is configured to display HTML, the recipient will see the HTML version. If the recipient’s email program cannot display HTML, or is set to display text only, the recipient will see only the text version. To reach the widest possible audience, include a plain text version of the message.

4.Copying an Email Job

After creating an initial Email Job there might be additional emails to create. For example, there may be Reminder Email Jobs or Thank You Email Jobs based on the initial. Because most of the information used to configure the Email Jobs will be the same, it is easier to copy the Invite and then make subtle changes.

To Copy an Email Job:

Log in to the Enterprise Manager as either the Local Administrator or a User with sufficient permissions to the Project the Email Job is in.

8.Hints on Better Emails

Preventing Spam-Blocking

If a large part of your email messages are not delivered, chances are they are being deleted or blocked by anti-spam filters by mistake.

Here is a list of guidelines you should always follow when creating your email messages.

If you’re using HTML emails, include a text part in the email as well, for recipients (and anti-spam checkers), and keep that text as close to the HTML copy as possible. The closer they’re related, the less likely your email will be seen as spam.

Keep your message’s layout as simple as possible. Avoid complex formatting (yes, it will make it look better, but less people will receive it).

Avoid generic salutation formulas as “Dear User”; it is even better to avoid salutation at all.

If you’re using HTML emails, use high quality HTML emails. Don’t use tools which generate horrendous HTML (example: MS Word). They often leave signs behind (like empty tags, eg: ) which are generally found in spam. Unbalanced tags and invalid tags will also flag an email as spam. If you use a title, make sure the title is meaningful — the default titles generated by HTML tools are often used as spam indicators.

Don’t include a disclaimer that your email isn’t spam. Don’t claim compliance with some legal criteria, especially one which is not actually law in your country. Only spam needs to claim compliance: non-spam is supposed to already be in compliance.

Use normal conversational language, be sure not to use excessive spacing and or capitalization on your subject.

If you’re using HTML emails, do not use invisible web-bugs to track your emails. If you must track your emails and whether they’re read, use visible graphics as part of your email, not invisible graphics.

Don’t include gratuitous references to spam subjects. Don’t talk about rolex watches, sexually oriented activities or drugs, or debt treatment, unless those topics directly relate to your email. And if they do, limit your email to one topic at a time. An email which mentions rolex watches, Viagra, porn, and debt all in one email will very possibly hit several rules that flag it as spam, even if everything else is clear.

Don’t use tools used by spammers (i.e., advertised in spam).

Use a well performing, well administered and trusted SMTP server. Most undeliverable mails come from poor SMTP services, which often lead to being blacklisted: make sure your SMTP service’s staff is ready to help if you are blacklisted by mistake.

Make sure your privacy policy, including enforcement, and including query contact information, is easily found and clearly stated on your web site. It’s good to include this information (where to find this policy, contact information), in your emails. Again, people who need to find out whether you’re spammer will often look for that information: this will help you in staying out of blacklists.

Be careful where you advertise, and be careful which advertisements you carry. If you advertise with companies that send out spam, your domains will be flagged as being related to spam. If you carry advertisements for those who spam, your domains will be flagged as being related to spam.

Be careful which domains/companies you allow to advertise in your emails (if any). Allowing spammers to advertise will get your emails flagged by the URI blacklists. On the other hand, don’t advertise your domains with spammers — having your domain name listed in their spams can also get you flagged by some URI blacklists.